0000-0002-2814-8803 About
My name is Nishant Kumar. I completed my Ph.D. in Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Patna, India, from 2018 to 2023. My research journey began with molecular dynamics simulations of discotic liquid crystal monolayers at the air-water interface. After spending a year in this area, I shifted my focus to two-dimensional (2D) materials and self-assembled Langmuir monolayers at both air-water and air-solid interfaces, using atomic force microscopy (AFM) as a key tool for my studies.
During my Ph.D., I had the opportunity to be part of the team that realized molybdenene, the first metallic Dirac material. I am happy to be one of the lead authors of the paper, "Microwave synthesis of molybdenene from MoS₂," which was published in Nature Nanotechnology. This work marked a significant step forward in the synthesis and understanding of novel 2D metallic materials.
In the area of self-assembled Langmuir monolayers, I worked extensively with heterocoronene-based discotic liquid crystals. We were able to explain the molecular orientation at both air-water and air-solid interfaces. Using the same molecule, we succeeded in creating millimeter-scale, free-standing monolayers held together purely by non-covalent interactions—the largest reported for such systems. These monolayers, made up of molecular nanowires, showed exciting potential for resistive switching applications. By tuning the temperature and surface pressure, I was able to separate these nanowires, which opened up new possibilities for their use.
Since June 2023, I have been working as a postdoctoral researcher at Tufts University. My current research is focused on developing non-invasive methods for bladder cancer detection, particularly by studying cell adhesion and cell mechanics. Alongside this, I am also exploring various applications of AFM in both materials science and biomedical engineering.
On the instrumentation side, I have hands-on experience with a range of atomic force microscopes, including Bruker Icon, Bruker Bioscope Catalyst, Bruker Nanowizard 4, Bruker Multimode 8, Oxford Vero, and WITec Alpha 300 (AFM-Raman). I am also proficient with the Langmuir-Blodgett setup and the Keithley 4200 parameter analyzer.
Employment
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Tufts University Postdoctoral research scholar2023 - Present
Education
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Indian Institute of Technology Patna PhD2018 - 2023
Projects & Funding
Projects & funding information is unavailable.
Publications (11)
- Precise molecular ordering in discotic monolayers through supramolecular nanoarchitectonics Save
- Single Ultrabright Fluorescent Silica Nanoparticles Can Be Used as Individual Fast Real-Time Nanothermometers Save
- Molybdenene for Energy Storage Applications Save
- Mechanical spectroscopy of materials using atomic force microscopy (AFM-MS) Save
- Temperature-Induced Nanoarchitectonics of Monolayer Self-Assembly of Heterocoronene-Based Discotic Liquid Crystals Save
- Microwave synthesis of molybdenene from MoS2 Save
- Interaction Modes in Pressure-Induced Molecular Nanoarchitectonics of the Alkylated Azobenzene Monolayer: Interfacial Analyses and Molecular Dynamic Simulation Save
- Non-Covalent Free-Standing Monolayer Nanoarchitectonics of Heterocoronene-Based Discotic Liquid Crystal Molecules Save
- Deciphering pressure-induced nanoarchitectonics in a monolayer of heterocoronene-based discotics at air-water and air-solid interfaces Save
- 2+δ-Dimensional Materials via Atomistic Z-Welding Save